Electron Cloud to Produce Highly Stripped Heavy Ions

Positive ions trapped in electron clouds are exciting interest among high‐energy and low‐energy physicists alike. While those interested in making high‐energy protons (and perhaps heavy ions) are investigating the electronring accelerator or smokatron (PHYSICS TODAY, April, page 63) a group at Avco‐Everett Research Laboratory is trying to use an electron cloud to make a source of highly stripped heavy ions for nuclear‐physics experiments. Like the electron‐ring accelerator, the Avco device uses external magnetic fields to control the motions of an electron cloud and then uses the electrostatic fields generated by these electrons to trap the ions and then strip them.

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